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Gerald III Emrestrun
Gerald III Emrestrun was the twentieth monarch of Daravia. He was famed for bringing Daravia back from the destruction wreaked by the Long Winter famine. Early life Gerald was born to future queen Ethel I during the reign of his grandfather, Armand; following his mother's example, and that of his tutors, Gerald grew to be a quiet and studious child. Increased spread of knowledge allowed Gerald to become a diligent student of history, and he sought to emulate those rulers who he regarded as most successful. The devastating winter of 395 threw a wrench in Gerald's plans, as his plans for building a strong economy were subverted by the need for recovery from the famine. Gerald's attempts at bringing about recovery during Ethel's reign were modest and fared poorly. Reign In 397, Gerald found himself pushed into power as a peasant revolt forced Ethel to abdicate. Gerald was quick to reach out to nearby nations for aid, calling upon his neighbors to set aside their differences and work together to overcome the famine. Although this built a close alliance with Cadra, it was less successful elsewhere; Dorio was too beset with a string of revolts, while Sunica (which by now was mostly south of the Zunerains) was little affected by the winter. Although harsh winters continued throughout the early years of Gerald's reign, he was able to coordinate efficient food distribution systems between Cadra and Daravia, and by consulting the Icy Islands for aid, oversaw the development of agriculture systems that could quickly produce hardy crops. By 420, starvation had mostly stopped, and Daravia's population was beginning to return to its previous population. This allowed Gerald to put into action some of his economic ideas; in particular, Gerald began a profitable trade system with Dorio, which had been weakened through a protracted war with Tristania. Cognizant of his advancing age, Gerald made sure to also spread his views into the parliament, and formed a strong partnership with Council Premier Victor Tallmount, who Gerald appointed after Herbert Peltman died in 415. Although some were unhappy with Gerald's choice, people largely believed in Tallmount's policies, and with Gerald's backing, Tallmount went on to become the longest-serving Council Premier in Daravian history. Daravia actually became the strongest power in Alarea for some time in the 420s and 430s, until there was an unusually strong outbreak of soilfever in 438 and 439, owing to the relative weakness of the generations that had grown up under the Long Winter. This set back Daravian progress, although Gerald joined Herbert IV of Dorio's Golden Quintet and was able to recuperate from the damage inflicted by the soilfever epidemic. In the 440s, Gerald's health began to decline, and in 448, his daughter Edith stepped in as his regent. Gerald still held on for six years before perishing in 454. Personal life Gerald married Petra Torthian in 385, and they had a reasonably happy marriage, although Petra wanted Gerald to be more ambitious than he was, especially considering Daravia's recent loss of Cadra. They had their first child, Armand, in 388, and named him for Gerald's just-deceased grandfather. Gerald went on to have two more children in the following years; however, Ethel died during childbirth in 421, and Armand died in 436, leaving only Edith to survive long enough to become Gerald's regent. Category:Daravians Category:Emrestrun Family Category:Monarchs